Ancient people travelled hundreds of miles from all corners of Britain to take part in feasts at or near great stone circles in the south of England, new research suggests.
The study argues that in the late neolithic period people transported pigs they had raised locally, possibly by sea or river, to sites in Wiltshire and Dorset.
It paints a picture of a very mobile society with people from across Britain not only knowing about sites in the south of England but being prepared to bring their livestock on arduous journeys to take part in festivals.
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6 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.During the neolithic era, people from the UK traveled to northern Ireland for flint...a long way to go to procure material for making tools!
GuitarDoctor
Level 7
Mar 14, 2019
1
Interesting but then again, England isn't very big in the first place, even on foot.
Surfpirate
Level 9
Mar 13, 2019
0
I think you two (@Amisja and @Charlene) are likely to be dead right in drawing comparisons to modern-day festivals. The great medieval fairs were much the same too, featuring days and days of drunken debauchery and, most probably, other interesting intoxicants as well, which is why the lords of the manors and the church clamped down hard on them and very few of the fairs survived the 19th Century just like governments and other guardians of public morality have clamped down on illegal raves. Illegal raves just went further underground and plenty still take place just as they have for thousands of years - it's like we actually need these unregulated gatherings.
Jnei
Level 8
Mar 13, 2019
3
I think we do. We need events, something to look forward to, to preen our feathers for. How many of us still celebrate Christmas despite our otherwise cynicism. Its exciting and special. I love festies.
I watched a special about it..it was about Stonehenge..and I thought it was put together quite well..it made sense that peoples would have traveled there for major feasts..from all over.People did and still do love to party!
Charlene
Level 9
Mar 13, 2019
3
That's assuming that it wasn't the mediaeval equivalent of a motorway services stop, or Travelodge. The henge is very close to what is still a busy arterial road to and from the SW of England.
@Charlene No less plausible than many weird theories surrounding Stonehenge. As is to be expected, it's even been suggested that it was a UFO landing pad.
I think that one can be safely discounted, but the truth is that no-one knows why it was built; all that there is is theory, there won't ever be a factual explanation.
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